Governor's office expedited my ESD claim - how long until actual payment?
After 7 weeks of my claim sitting in limbo, I finally reached out to the governor's office last Wednesday through their online form. They must have sent something to ESD because I got a message in my eServices account yesterday saying someone was actively reviewing my claim. Has anyone gone through this process before? How long after the 'someone is looking at it' message did you actually see payment? I'm a single parent with three kids and our apartment lease is up for renewal next month. With snow in the forecast, I'm terrified of ending up with nowhere to go if I can't make rent. The property management already sent me a pre-eviction warning letter yesterday. I've been applying for jobs like crazy (12 applications last week alone), but haven't landed anything yet. Just need to know if I should be making backup housing plans or if ESD typically moves quickly once the governor's office gets involved.
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Joshua Hellan
In my experience, once the governor's office gets involved things move MUCH faster. After my message that someone was reviewing it, I got paid in 3 business days. The key is to check your eServices account daily - you'll see when your claim status changes from "adjudication" or "pending" to "paid." The money usually hits your direct deposit or debit card 24-48 hours after that status change. If you don't see movement by Monday, call the ESD callback line first thing in the morning (8:00am sharp). The governor's intervention usually puts you in a priority queue, but sometimes you need to follow up.
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Olivia Kay
•Thank you so much for this! That's so helpful to know it might be just a few days. I've been checking eServices obsessively already. Still says "Under Review" but I'll keep watching for that status change to "paid". Monday will be business day 3 so I'll definitely call if nothing changes by then.
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Jibriel Kohn
wait you can contact the govenors office?? ive been stuck for like 5 weeks and nobody answers when i call!! how do u even do that??
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Olivia Kay
•Yes! Go to governor.wa.gov and look for "Contact" - there's a form where you explain your hardship situation. Be specific about how long you've been waiting and any financial hardships (especially if you have kids or medical issues). I included screenshots of my account showing how long it had been pending. They responded to me in 2 days saying they'd contact ESD.
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Edison Estevez
•governor.wa.gov form worked for me too!!! wrote them last month when i was about 2 get evicted. ESD called me 2 days later n fixed everything. wish id known sooner
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Emily Nguyen-Smith
I work with ESD cases regularly and when the governor's office gets involved, claims typically get resolved within 1-5 business days. The process typically follows these steps: 1. Governor's office sends an expedite request to ESD 2. ESD assigns the claim to a specialized adjudicator 3. You'll see the "under review" message (which you already did) 4. The adjudicator may call you if they need additional information 5. The claim gets processed (approved or denied) 6. If approved, payment processes in 24-48 hours Since you've already seen the claim is under review, you're at step 3. With housing instability and children involved, they should prioritize this quickly. Keep checking your eServices account several times daily, especially early morning when most status changes happen.
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Olivia Kay
•This is super helpful, thank you! Is there anything I should do to prepare in case they call? Should I have my employment separation letter ready? My former employer contested my initial claim saying I quit, but I was actually laid off due to department restructuring.
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Emily Nguyen-Smith
•Yes, definitely have that separation letter ready along with any emails, texts, or other documentation showing you were laid off rather than quitting. If your former employer contested the claim, the adjudicator will almost certainly need to speak with you to get your side of the story. When they call, stay calm and stick to the facts - dates, specific communications about the layoff, etc. The more documentation you have, the faster they can resolve the dispute in your favor.
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James Johnson
I hate to be the negative voice here, but I've been through this EXACT situation and it still took WEEKS after the governor's office got involved. Everyone here saying it takes just a few days must have had simple claims. If your employer contested your claim (which is what happened to me too), they have to do a full adjudication process no matter WHO contacts them. The system is BROKEN and even the governor's office can only do so much. You need to be prepared for this to potentially take longer. Have you talked to your landlord about a payment plan? Applied for emergency rental assistance? Those saved me when ESD took forever.
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Olivia Kay
•Oh no, that's really concerning. My employer did contest it (falsely claiming I quit). I've tried talking to my landlord but they're a big corporate management company and not very flexible. I haven't tried emergency rental assistance yet - is there a specific program you'd recommend?
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James Johnson
•Call 2-1-1 immediately! They can connect you with emergency rental assistance programs in your county. Also check with your county's housing authority directly. When you apply, mention you have kids and the winter weather concerns - that often gets your application flagged as priority. I had to provide proof of my pending ESD claim and the contested status, so have screenshots ready of your eServices account showing it's still processing.
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Sophia Rodriguez
I was in a similar position last February - governor's office helped after 9 weeks of nothing. Once they stepped in, I finally saw movement but was still frustrated trying to reach someone at ESD for updates. I found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an ESD agent in about 20 minutes when I'd been trying for days. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 that shows how it works. It was seriously helpful for getting specific answers about my claim status after the governor intervened. In my case, the money hit my account 4 days after the governor's office contacted ESD, but I did have to call and verify some information first. The agent was able to tell me exactly what was happening and when I could expect payment.
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Olivia Kay
•Thanks for this tip! I'm going to check out that service if I don't see any updates by Monday. Did you get backpay for all the weeks you were waiting too?
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Sophia Rodriguez
•Yes, I got full backpay for all the weeks I had properly filed claims during the waiting period. Just make sure you've been doing your weekly claims consistently even while waiting for the initial approval. One thing the ESD agent explained when I reached them was that they can only backpay for properly filed weekly claims.
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Mia Green
Not to change the subject but you mentioned applying for 12 jobs last week - make sure you're documenting those correctly in your job search log! I got approved after governor intervention but then had payment held again because my job search activities weren't properly documented. ESD is really picky about the details you include for each application.
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Edison Estevez
•omg this happened 2 me 2!! they want like EVERYTHING - job title, company name, address, contact info, how u applied. its so anoying
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Olivia Kay
•I've been keeping a detailed spreadsheet with all that information! Each entry has the company name, position, application date, method (online/email/in-person), contact person, and follow-up notes. I even save the confirmation emails from applications. Is there anything specific that often gets flagged?
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Mia Green
•Your documentation sounds perfect! The most common flags I've seen are missing contact information (they want a specific person's name or phone number) and vague application methods ("online" isn't enough - they want the specific website or portal). Your spreadsheet approach is exactly what worked for me. Just be ready to provide this detail if they ask during adjudication.
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Joshua Hellan
Just checking in - any updates on your claim? Has the status changed yet?
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Olivia Kay
•YES! Amazing news - I just checked my account this morning and it switched from "Under Review" to "Paid"! The payment is scheduled to process tomorrow. I'm so relieved I can barely type. Thank you all SO MUCH for your help and support through this - I was seriously panicking. For anyone else reading this later, the governor's office intervention worked in exactly 4 business days for me.
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